Las Vegas saw an influx of gay porn stars this past weekend, as the Hard Rock Hotel hosted the GayVNs on Sunday night. It was a celebration of all the hard work (ahem) done in the gay porn industry in 2017.

It had been eight years since the GayVNs last took place, and they came back with a bang. Performers from every facet of the industry were present to accept awards in multiple categories.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be an awards ceremony without a little controversy, right? This year’s GayVNs saw no shortage of controversy, as when the nominees were announced in November, many were aghast at a segregated category for “Best Ethnic Scene.” (The GayVNs have since apologized for creating the category and came up with a solution — albeit an odd one.)

We asked gay porn star Wesley Woods for his takeaway of this past Sunday’s GayVNs.

Below are his 5 favorite moments from the 2018 GayVNs:

1. The opening video created by AVN starring ChiChi LaRue and Shangela

The last GayVN awards took place in 2010, and the queen host of gay porn awards shows, ChiChi LaRue, was not on hosting duties this year. AVN instead chose to go with someone “more famous” (as stated by Shangela in the opening video skit).

In the video, ChiChi insisted that Shangela take porn boot camp-style training classes from a few guys she knows where they would teach her the art of dirty talk, the fun of dom/sub roles and a variety of other important pornspectives on sex and sexuality.

Equipped with all the proper ho knowledge, Shangela was then officially announced as host of the evening and welcomed onstage.

2. Brent Corrigan’s acceptance speech for Best Actor

It seems as though Brent Corrigan is leaving Falcon Studios! (But do we believe it?)

After his win for Best Actor, Corrigan closed his acceptance speech by stating “I’m done” and expressing interest in collaborations away from Falcon projects. (Then again, announcements of retirement happen quite often in the porn world.)

But the shift in the room was felt by all, and it left everyone wondering how it will all play out in the end.

3. Honoring a Hall of Famer

Drik Yates accepts his Hall of Fame award at the GayVNs; photo by Philly T.

Dirk Yates (aka Rick Ford) has been active in the industry since the late 1980s, filming “straight military guys doing not-so-straight things.”

My thoughts: I felt honored to be able to applaud an individual who has created a life I’m actively living, and in an era that was not as accepting as things are now. (And, let’s face it — we still have work to do as a whole).

4. Sean Zevran addresses the Best Ethnic Scene category

“We’re all friends. The art we create has an impact on our fans and consumers,” Zevran told the crowd. “It has an impact on our community — the LGBT community. Whether we like it or not, our art is about more than just having an orgasm. It defines a community and a culture. As we continue to create art, I ask that we all remember this, and that we take pride in it.”

I think it’s a beautiful time to be part of this industry, which feels very unified among its performers.

5. Host Shangela slayed in all her outfits. She changed each time she left the stage!

Wesley Woods (left) with Shangela after the GayVNs; photo by Wesley Woods

Check out more pics from Sunday night’s GayVNs here:

Find more info about the GayVNs here, and view the entire list of this year’s winners here.